Data.gov.gr is Greece’s new national open data portal – what it means for citizens, businesses, and AI

The caller unfastened information portal Data.gov.gr, which aspires to go the cardinal entree constituent to nationalist assemblage information successful Greece for citizens, researchers, universities, businesses, and organisations, was presented contiguous astatine the Ministry of Digital Governance.

The cardinal connection of the presumption was that unfastened information is nary longer a theoretical treatment astir the future, but a captious instrumentality for transparency, innovation, and development. It is not simply a technological infrastructure, but a caller exemplary of authorities cognition — 1 that seeks to alteration accusation into a nationalist good, accessible to all, with the extremity of boosting development, transparency, and innovation successful the integer age.

The Minister of Digital Governance, Dimitris Papastergiou, described the presumption of the level arsenic a “very important moment” for nationalist medication and Greek integer policy, stressing that “there is nary artificial quality without unfastened data.” As helium noted, Greece for years had a large spread successful the country of unfastened data, pointing retired that “there was a achromatic hole” regarding the availability and accessibility of nationalist data.

He underlined that the task was not easy, arsenic “it is hard to person the Greek nationalist assemblage to unfastened its data,” explaining that for decades determination was nary indispensable civilization of information utilisation and publication. “Open information is wealthiness and we indispensable recognize its value,” helium said.

The Minister peculiarly emphasised the value of information prime and updating, noting that the nonsubjective is not simply the accumulation of ample volumes of information, but the beingness of reliable, updated, and reusable data. As helium said, these datasets tin service arsenic a “foundation for caller applications,” boosting innovation, startups, the world community, and probe activity.

Referring to the advancement of the project, helium called it a “necessary” measurement towards modern integer governance, noting that Greece had to adjacent a important spread compared to different European countries. He recalled that a fewer years agone determination were lone 80 datasets available, portion contiguous the caller level hosts 9,523 unfastened datasets, 31,441 information resources, 22 information services, and 455 organisations.

During the event, notation was besides made to the usage of artificial quality successful nationalist services, with the Minister linking Data.gov.gr to the broader integer ecosystem being developed successful the country. In this context, helium besides mentioned caller integer infrastructure projects, noting characteristically that “Daedalus volition soon commencement running,” referring to upcoming capabilities successful artificial quality and information analysis.

At the aforesaid time, the Minister stressed the request for continuous practice with society, academia, and probe institutions truthful that information tin beryllium efficaciously utilised and instrumentality worth to citizens.

The Special Secretary for Artificial Intelligence and Data Governance, Vassilis Karkatzounis, described the task arsenic a “collective effort” requiring the information of each nationalist assemblage bodies. Presenting the imaginativeness and ngo of the caller platform, helium stressed that Data.gov.gr is present the cardinal catalogue of unfastened information of the Hellenic Republic, providing unified entree to nationalist assemblage data.

According to him, the level is based connected 4 main pillars: simple, transparent, and reliable entree to nationalist data; improved prime and reusability; strengthened innovation and evidence-based decision-making; and continuous betterment of the level done practice with organisations, citizens, and businesses.

Particular accent was besides placed connected the organization model of the portal. Karkatzounis clarified that publishing unfastened information is “not an option, but a ineligible obligation.” As helium explained, the caller doctrine of the authorities is based connected the rule “open by default – closed lone erstwhile determination is simply a reason.”

“All information is published arsenic unfastened by default, unless determination is simply a circumstantial crushed not to, specified arsenic idiosyncratic information extortion issues,” helium said, adding that “the objection present requires justification” and that “the load of impervious has shifted.”

Significant attraction was fixed to information quality. As highlighted, the caller portal is not intended to relation arsenic a elemental “file repository,” but arsenic an organised information infrastructure with circumstantial prime standards.

For this reason, each dataset included successful the level indispensable conscionable criteria related to metadata completeness, regular updates, usage of unfastened formats, wide licensing, idiosyncratic information protection, and interoperability.

The improvement of the level was described arsenic a “long journey” that began backmost successful 2013. According to the information presented, successful 2020 determination were lone 83 datasets from 28 organisations, portion successful 2025 the Special Secretariat for Artificial Intelligence and Data Governance was established to coordinate nationalist strategy.

During the presentation, the cardinal benefits of unfastened information were besides highlighted. As noted, entree to nationalist information strengthens transparency and democracy, arsenic citizens summation the quality to scrutinise authorities enactment done existent data. It besides enhances spot successful institutions.

A beardown accent was placed connected the economical magnitude of the initiative. According to ministry officials, unfastened information creates important economical impact, arsenic businesses and startups tin usage it to make caller products and services without information acquisition costs.

Benefits are besides expected for the nationalist assemblage itself, arsenic centrally disposable information reduces bureaucracy and limits duplication of processes betwixt agencies. Services volition present beryllium capable to reuse existing information alternatively of recreating it, strengthening practice betwixt ministries and organisations.

At the European level, integration with the EU portal data.europe.eu is expected to marque Greek datasets disposable and usable crossed Europe, strengthening Greece’s presumption successful the European integer ecosystem.

Particular value was besides fixed to the biology and societal worth of data, arsenic accusation related to energy, environment, and clime tin enactment policies linked to the greenish modulation and sustainable development.

The Data.gov.gr portal already includes a wide scope of thematic categories, including agriculture, fisheries, forestry and food; education; civilization and sports; environment; health; justness and nationalist safety; colonisation and society; transport; system and finance; energy; authorities and nationalist sector; planetary affairs; regions and cities; subject and technology; and artificial intelligence.

According to ministry officials, the platform’s improvement is portion of Recovery Fund-financed projects, portion the adjacent large extremity is to promote adjacent much nationalist bodies to unfastened their information and support it continuously updated and of precocious quality.